A Dream To Remember
by Dusk19
Summary: My very first The Nut Job fanfic and one-shot. Takes place after the first movie. Lana isn't very happy about being single again after having to dump King, and she is friends with a certain squirrel and his rat sidekick. But an unusual dream she has turns her into a squirrel and she meets the duo again, but with her and Surly being more than just friends. Surly X Squirrel!Lana


**I'm back once again, and this time with my very first one-shot. This time it's of The Nut Job, with Surly shipped with Lana. I know what you guys are thinking though, but it's not what you think it is! It's only a dream Lana has as a squirrel. It's just a crack pairing too with TF(transformation), and I just thought I could make it into a fanfic. It's mostly because I'm not really a fan of SurlyXAndie nor Andie herself. :P Hope you enjoy it and that it's good enough, though. Still an amateur writer. Enjoy!**

 **The Nut Job and its characters belong to Toonbox Entertainment.**

* * *

 **A Dream To Remember**

It was nighttime in Oakton City, and it was getting late perhaps around 9 PM. Lana, the new owner of Maury's Nut Shop, came home to her apartment with now _her_ pet pug Precious. She was feeling exhausted after a long day of working at the shop as she turned on the living room light and putted away her handbag. Precious was happy to be home as well as she panted happily and trotted around the room. Lana chuckled as she watched her dog be hyperactive and excited like usual.

"Alright, Precious," Lana chuckled. "Calm down now, girl. I'm happy to be home too, especially after such a long day at the nut shop."

Lana then yawned as it was about time for her to get some sleep for the night.

"I'd better hit the sack, too," she said.

Right before she could go to her room, she heard tapping on the window from outside. Strangely, the tapping was in a pattern of knocking. Both Lana and Precious looked, and they saw a purple squirrel standing outside giving a friendly wave with a shy smile. The squirrel was obviously Surly, and Precious acted as if she knew him very well. She ran over below the window and stood on her hind legs up to it, then looked at Lana panting happily as if she wants her to let Surly in. Lana didn't recognize the purple squirrel at the moment, so she wore a skeptical and displeased look as if she was annoyed with Precious and Surly.

"Must I really have to deal with a squirrel Precious, especially at this hour?" Lana asked.

With that, Precious began begging Lana by whining and whimpering. It turned out that the pug was dying to meet her purple friend again. Lana sighed in defeat as she came over to Precious and the window.

"Alright…" Lana sighed in defeat.

The woman unlocked and carefully opened the window to let Surly in, and he cautiously crawled in. As he and Lana somewhat looked closely at each other, Lana started recognizing the squirrel. It brought her back to the time in the nut shop's hideout where she was upset to find out that her now ex-boyfriend King was up to another heist with his associates. Perhaps Surly could be the same squirrel Lana freed that time, too.

"Wait a second…" Lana started while examining the squirrel. "You're the same squirrel I freed from my ex, weren't you?"

Surly remembered as well, so he nodded in response. It was because Lana wouldn't understand him if he was to try to talk to her. As Surly came down to the floor, Precious then came over to the squirrel and licked him happily showing that she's happy to see him as well. After being surprised by that, Lana chuckled and smiled at the two.

"I suppose you're friends with him, aren't you girl?" Lana asked Precious.

Precious panted happily and made a small bark at Lana as if she's saying yes. That was when Lana decided to let Surly stay for a bit anyways. The squirrel seemed quite friendly to her after all, and probably wanted to come over to be thankful to her for freeing him.

"Alright, little guy," Lana told Surly, accepting his visit. "If you came over to be thankful, I'll let you stay for a bit. As long as you don't touch or break anything…or bite."

Surly smiled and nodded, then turned back to the window and signaled someone else to come in as well. There then came a rat who looked shy and friendly, who is obviously Buddy. He waved at Lana as he and Surly putted arms around each other, showing that they're friends and partners as well. With that, Lana crossed her arms and asked, "So you have a friend you'd like to bring along?"

The two rodents nodded with a smile in response. Lana then chuckled and said, "Alright. Just behave yourselves around here and don't mess up or break anything. Be right back. I have some nuts from the shop."

With that said, Lana went over to the kitchen for some nuts to feed the two rodents. Surly and Buddy smiled at each other in delight licking their lips while Precious continued panting happily as if she's happy for the two. The two rodents couldn't wait to sink their teeth into some stuff from the nut shop, and were happy to have Lana and Precious as friends.

Later, they were all in the kitchen. Surly and Buddy were on the table already eating from a bowl of mixed nuts Lana gave them. The new shop owner was sitting at the table in front of the duo, watching them eat as well. She smiled as she watched the two small animals enjoy their served dinner.

"I'm glad you two are enjoying yourselves," Lana said.

Surly and Buddy nodded happily in response as they continued stuffing their faces in nuts. While looking at Surly though, it still brings Lana back to certain memories at the nut shop. It was mostly about her ex-boyfriend King, and how menacing and evil he was with such a criminal record. Lana did make a good choice to break up with him though, and it was the right thing for her to do. She sighed as she softly petted and stroked Surly.

"I'm sorry you were caught by my ex-boyfriend, though," Lana apologized to the purple squirrel. "In fact, I was pretty upset to learn that he was seriously bad news. Him and his henchmen…"

Of course Lana did what was right and dumped his criminal ex-boyfriend, but it also made her sad because of the fact that she's single again. She doesn't ever want to see King again, but then she is left with no boyfriend. There were plenty of fish swimming out there in Oakton City though, but she just doesn't know where to start or who to turn to.

"Come to think of it though…" Lana said. "I don't know where I could get a new man…or lover, at least…"

While deep into thought about it, she continued watching Surly and Buddy eat their dinner.

Later, the bowl was nearly empty with little nuts left, and Surly and Buddy were satisfied and somewhat full. Lana knew that as she took up their bowl to empty it and put it away.

"I suppose you boys ate enough?" Lana asked.

The two rodents nodded licking their lips in delight and patting their stomachs. Lana smiled as she softly petted and stroked the two.

"Well, I'm glad I could please you two and that you could come over," Lana said.

With that said, Surly and Buddy smiled at the female human and so did Precious. The two rodents were happy as well that Lana wasn't afraid of them like most humans usually were, and that she could kindly take them in with some friendly respect. After all, Lana did free Surly from King and the squirrel owed her his respect for it. He wouldn't want to be vicious to nor bite the hand that feeds him, too. After putting away the bowl, Lana came back stretching and yawning as it's about time for her to go to bed and for the two rodents to leave.

"Well, it's about time for me to hit the hay," Lana said. "I got a nut shop to run in the morning. I'm sure you two have stuff to do too…I suppose…"

Lana then opened the window Surly and Buddy came from so they could leave. Right before they could, Precious gave Surly a slobbery goodbye lick. After that, the purple squirrel petted the panting pug with a smile. He and Buddy then climbed up to the open window and stood at it only to look back at Lana one last time for the night, then saluted to her as a friendly way of saying goodbye. Lana did the same with a chuckle while Precious watched them while panting happily. That was when Surly and Buddy finally went out the window and left. With that, Lana closed it and looked down at Precious.

"C'mon, girl," she ordered. "Let's get to bed."

Lana then went over to her room and Precious followed as she was told. While in her room, the female human went into her closet and changed into her night clothes. After that, that's when she got into her bed and pulled the covers over her. Precious got into her small dog bed as well and curled up in it. Before they went to sleep, Lana glanced at her pet pug one last time to tell her goodnight as she reached for the lamp.

"Goodnight, Precious," she said.

She then turned off the lamp and she and Precious both drifted off to sleep. While that though, she had still been having thoughts. She began to feel a bit lovesick, and she wished that someone else could come into her life. Still there are plenty of fish swimming out there, but the question is who? Who would be the right one for her? She sighed silently as she chose to take her mind off of it and continue to sleep. That was when she started dreaming…

* * *

 _ **Dreamscape…**_

Lana slowly woke up as she opened her eyes and her vision became clear. She sat up groaning then started looking around. Surprisingly she was back in her nut shop in King's former criminal hideout, but…everything was big; just as big as buildings and skyscrapers! The shelves, stairs, tables, boxes, everything was huge! It was beyond strange to Lana as she felt like she was a bug or small animal. She got up on her feet while wondering what was going on.

"What in tha…" she said to herself. "What is going on here? Why is everything…?"

She then looked at herself starting with her hands, and what she saw had shocked her. Her hands were no longer showing skin but instead had dark yellow fur!

 _These…aren't my hands_ , Lana thought with bewilderment. _They can't be my hands…_

She looked down at the rest of her body, from her torso to her feet. She wasn't wearing any clothes, but had nothing but yellow fur! She also felt a new body part moving and touching her back. She moved it in front of her to see what it was, and it revealed to be a squirrel tail! Lana stuttered at the moment as she looked around for a mirror. Luckily she found one and she came up to it, and she was then shocked and filled with awe. Lana was no longer a human being, but now a yellow-furred squirrel!

"I-I'm a squirrel…?!" Lana gasped while stuttering.

Surprisingly and thankfully, the only thing she still had was her curly hair. Overall though, she was surprised to see that she was actually a squirrel. She had a black nose, buck teeth, and her ears were dark-colored and above her head. She knew she was dreaming though, but it still doesn't fix her real-life problem just because she's a squirrel. She was single and lovesick in reality, and her problem is not yet solved. Just then, Lana heard another female's voice coming from the staircase of the hideout.

"Lana?" a voice asked.

Lana turned to see who it was; it was her pet pug Precious! Lana found it hard to believe that it was her who spoke, until Precious spoke again.

"Lana!" Precious shouted happily.

"Precious?" Lana quizzed with her jaw dropped. She was shocked just hearing Precious speak!

"Lana!" the pug shouted once again as she started running over to Lana.

As she came to her, Precious happily and sloppily licked Lana's cheek. The squirrel was not amused, but was still surprised and speechless since Precious could talk!

"Oh Lana…" Precious started happily. "It feels so good to see you here in the nut store!"

Lana was still speechless at the moment, but then decided to respond. "Um…yeah," Lana said hesitantly. "So….you can talk?"

"Of course!" Precious laughed.

Lana was speechless at the moment, but then was skeptical as she turned away from the pug and spoke to herself.

"Okay…" Lana laughed sarcastically. "This has to be a dream…"

"What are you talking to yourself for, Lana?" Precious asked enthusiastically as she walking around Lana to face her again. "C'mon! We have a store to run!"

After listening to the pug, Lana became dumbfounded as she placed her hand on her hip with a skeptical look. "How exactly can I run the shop when I'm now a squirrel?" she asked.

"Well, of coarse you're a squirrel now. That's why you're running the store for two loyal customers," Precious said with a wink.

"Two loyal customers?" Lana asked with a skeptical look.

"Yeah!" Precious replied with a small enthusiastic jump.

"That's us," a male voice said.

Lana and Precious both looked up at the ceiling and that was where they found Surly and Buddy, the squirrel and rat from back in reality! The two rodents were looking down at Lana and Precious with determined smiles as Lana stared at them wide-eyed.

"O-Oh, it's you two!" Lana said in surprise.

"Yep," Surly replied. "It's us."

Lana was still surprised after hearing that from the purple squirrel. Just like Precious and even though he's a squirrel, Surly could speak to her too! Lana straightened up though and she chose to get that fact out of the way because she still knew it was just a dream. After all she's a squirrel too, so she's going to be able to communicate with other animals. She watched as the purple squirrel and his rat sidekick both climbed all the way down the building and came over. Lana was a bit shy at the moment, especially since she's meeting Surly once again this time as a squirrel.

"Um…wow," Lana said, blushing a bit with a shy smile. "It's quite fancy meeting you here. You…and your rat friend."

"Pleasure to meet you too, sis," Surly replied, revealing his deep manly voice. "Name's Surly. Surly Squirrel."

After finding out that the purple squirrel actually had a name, Lana became more astonished. "Oh, well pleasure to meet you too…Surly," the yellow female squirrel chuckled.

Still having enthusiasm, Precious scampered over to Surly and happily gave him a big slobbery lick before saying, "Hey, Surly! You know Lana, right? C'mon, buddy! Don't leave her hangin'!"

"Yeah yeah, Precious! I know her!" Surly replied to the pug, gesturing her. "Besides, you told me already. You two are friends."

"Friends?" Lana asked in confusion. "I'm her owner."

Surly and Precious looked at Lana, then both busted out laughing making the yellow squirrel cross her arms with an unamused look and a "hmph!" They fell to the floor laughing hysterically as if they found it hard to believe that a squirrel like Lana could possibly own a dog.

"Th-That's a good one there!" Precious laughed.

"We really don't see how a small squirrel can possibly own a dog!" Surly laughed as well. "C-Comedy gold!"

"Comedy platinum!" Precious added.

"Yeah!" Surly laughed in agreement.

Lana rolled her eyes at the two and sighed. "Yeah, however _you guys_ see it," she said sarcastically.

Lana then turned to Buddy, who was shyly holding onto his tail and smiling nervously. Strangely, Buddy never said anything nor even introduced himself. He wasn't laughing with Surly and Precious, either. That all made Lana curious as she decided to speak to the rat.

"And who might _you_ be?" Lana asked.

Buddy didn't reply nor say anything but still gripped his tail and looked shyly at Lana. She stared at the rat with a confused look, wondering why Buddy wasn't responding or even opening his mouth.

"Umm…not the talkative type, aren't you?" Lana asked.

As he and Precious' laughter went down, Surly came over to explain to the female squirrel why Buddy wasn't saying anything.

"Well, he can't really speak," Surly explained to Lana. "He's silent."

Lana nodded with astonishment before looking back at Buddy who shrugged in agreement with Surly.

"Poor guy," the female said with pity. "Maybe he lost his voice or was born without the ability to speak or something?"

Surly shrugged. "Meh," the purple squirrel said. "No telling. Poor guy just can't speak."

"Okay, I guess," Lana said with a bit of worry.

"Well, I think I'll leave you guys alone now," Precious said with a smile. "I'll let you guys get to know each other better. I'll be elsewhere if ya need me."

"Alright, Precious," Lana and Surly both replied.

The three rodents watched as the pug left the room back into the lobby of the nut store. After that, Lana then turned back to Surly as she rubbed her arm nervously while trying to think of what to say to him first.

"So, umm…" Lana said nervously and hesitantly.

"How am I doing, you ask?" Surly predicted as if it was obvious.

"Yeah," Lana answered with a nod.

"Yep, lucky guess," Surly said. "Anyways, same ol' same ol'. Us going around town, running away from trouble, stealing nuts from stores..."

"You steal from stores?" Lana asked.

"It's what we do," Surly said with a shrug. Lana crossed her arms looking at Surly suspiciously, and the purple squirrel raised his hands in gesture as he said, "I know, I know. It's wrong and troublesome. We get that all the time. But hey, we do it for survival. We're a team, after all."

"Okay, I guess," Lana said. She then started to worry about the two rodents. "But…well, you wouldn't actually do more horrible stuff than that, would you?"

"What do you mean?" Surly asked with confusion.

"You know, like…well…" Lana felt hesitant and worrisome. The fact that Surly and Buddy steal reminded her of her ex-boyfriend, King. He was a cruel robber and a criminal, going through bank heists with his henchmen and even double-crossing them. She had a good reason and right to dump him, after all. But while being with Surly, it made Lana wonder with worry: What if he could be just like King? Would he betray Buddy just like King did with his associates? How bad could or _would_ Surly be? Lana was deep into thought about all that, but didn't know she was keeping Surly waiting for her to answer him.

"Well?" Surly asked, tilting his head a bit with confusion.

Lana's bubble had burst and she was startled, jumping a bit in shock. "Oh, sorry," she apologized before clearing her throat and facing Surly again. "Well, I just want to ask you this. You-…you wouldn't actually betray your friend Buddy, would you?"

Surly was surprised as he looked at Buddy, who looked at Surly with a sad scared look as if he heard Lana's question too. Surly hugged the speechless rat tightly showing him and Lana how much he cares and how trustable he can be, then he looked back at female squirrel and said, "To let you know Lana, he's more than just my sidekick! He's like a brother to me and he's my best friend! Well of course I had been a little too hard on him at times, but I made up for it apologetically and now I'm a better friend to him! I made that promise to him and…he's like family to me, Lana!"

With all that said and while Surly still kept held onto him, Buddy nodded in agreement with him.

"Okay, okay!" Lana said, gesturing the purple squirrel. "I understand. Let's just skip to the next subject."

Surly sighed and then letted go of Buddy as he started to feel guilty. "Sorry," he apologized. "I'm just protective of my friend. That's all."

"I understand," Lana said. At least all that, coming from Surly, answered one of her questions. She just had at least one more to ask. "Well, you wouldn't actually cause any other kind of trouble, would you? By that I mean rob, kidnap, kill, other stuff like that. Thieving is one thing, you know."

Being asked that made Surly look at Lana in surprise. Of course he is a thief who steals for survival, but he can't imagine being _that_ messed up for a squirrel. Heck, he'd probably be kicked out of the park in a heartbeat if he was to do much cruel stuff than steal. Buddy probably still wouldn't be his friend either if Surly was to be that much of a dangerous or vicious squirrel.

"No!" Surly answered. "I would _**never**_ do all that other stuff you just listed. I'm only a thief, not a killer, a robber, nor kidnapper! Buddy would never do any of that either, well…hence he's usually silent and… _sweet_." Buddy nodded in agreement as Surly continued. "But still and I promise you, I would _never_ be that dangerous. You can trust me."

"I see," Lana said.

That was another one of her questions answered. She could give Surly some of her trust and also doubted that he would be like King. After all, the squirrel does have an associate that he actually cares about unlike King with _his_ associates. Plus, Surly's only a squirrel. It'd be hard to believe that Surly would have anything in common with the menacing leader of the robbers. Still though after hearing the criminal stuff Lana mentioned, Surly was brought back to ever since he and Buddy were at the park. He sighed as he had one thing to admit to the yellow squirrel.

"Well, I guess I can tell you this…" Surly started. "Me and Buddy had been outcasts of the park. It's quite obvious, anyways. It was because of my thieving ways."

Lana grew concerned and interested and she wanted to listen. "Go on," she told the purple squirrel.

"Well, it wasn't just because I was a thief," Surly admitted. "It was because I was idiotically selfish. I didn't want to share, mostly because I was to be an independent rogue and survivor. I was an outcast for so long until one day I accidently blew up the park's tree. It wasn't just any tree though, but was the one that stocks up food for the park. That was when I was banished from the park as if it was my fault…"

Lana gasped in shock. "Oh my goodness…" the yellow squirrel said.

"That's not all, though…" Surly said. He and Buddy then sat on the lowest bottom of the hideout's shelf, and Lana sat with them so Surly would continue telling her the story. That was when he did, and Lana listened closely throughout the process.

Later, Surly was finished telling Lana the story. He had told her everything; how he used to be ever since, how much the park hated him, how Andie made him share for the park, how he cooperated with everyone else in order to rack up food, the fact that Raccoon betrayed him and the team and worked with the city rats, and how Surly risked his life for the park. Lana felt pity for Surly but at the same time, she was glad that he decided to change his ways at the end.

"My goodness, Surly," Lana said. "I'm so very sorry to hear. Well, at least you changed and you saved those poor animals…I mean, the park."

"Yeah," Surly said in agreement. "I'm probably still not welcome to the park, mostly because I chose to let Grayson have the credit. But other than that, _boy_ was I hated ever since I was an outcast…"

"Well…" Lana started. "Either way, I don't hate you. After all, you are…kinda cute. You do have a deep, manly voice too. And…"

Lana looks away nervously as if she could be afraid to admit more stuff. It turned out that she started to have feelings for Surly since she was a squirrel, but she wasn't sure if she should admit it yet. Surly and his rat sidekick both looked at Lana in surprise because of the things she said about him.

"You think I'm…cute?" the purple squirrel asked.

Lana nodded in response. Surly and Buddy looked at each other surprisingly then back at Lana as Surly continued to question her.

"And you like my voice?" Surly asked.

"Well…yes," Lana said, blushing.

"Well, uhh…" Surly started while rubbing his head bashfully and blushing a bit with a nervous smile. "I'm-…I'm surprised…"

While Surly and Lana both remained nervous with each other, Buddy smiled with an idea as he stood in front of the two squirrels and received their attention. That was when he made a heart sign with his hands and fingers, convincing something certain to the two especially Surly. Surly and Lana knew what Buddy was referring to as they looked away from one another nervously.

"Eh, I dunno Buddy," Surly said nervously.

"Yeah," Lana said in agreement with Surly. "We sorta just met, after all."

Buddy didn't care as he pushed the two squirrels closer together and face-to-face, making them blush and look at each other with bewilderment. The silent rat figured that since Lana admitted some of her feelings to Surly, there could be chemistry between the two. Buddy then stepped back a little to watch how things will go, and Surly and Lana kept their glance at each other but still remained nervous.

"Well what's the use, anyways?" Lana chuckled a bit with a shrug.

"Yeah," Surly said in agreement. "So about those things you said you liked about me, you really mean them?"

"Um…yeah," Lana answered.

"Well…thanks," Surly thanked while rubbing his head again with a smile.

"You're welcome, Surly," Lana said. "I really mean it, though. It's one of the manliest voices I've ever heard in so long. Plus, I suppose purple is one of my favorite colors and it looks pretty cute on a squirrel like you."

"Well…" Surly chuckled nervously and a bit hesitantly. "Kinda flattering…I guess."

Lana chuckled before suddenly, music came on and startled the two squirrels. They looked to see where it was coming from, and they saw Buddy standing beside a working radio with a smile. It seemed that the speechless rat wanted to get Surly and Lana closer together. The music that was playing from the radio was waltz music, too. Surly became somewhat frustrated with Buddy because of that while Lana chuckled again.

"Doggone it, Buddy!" Surly grumbled with a sigh and a facepalm in embarrassment.

"It's alright," Lana said to the purple squirrel with a warm smile. "Seems like he wanted to…well, put us together."

"Well…alright," Surly replied with a shrug. He then went into thought since the music was playing, then stood up and glanced back at Lana with a smile before offering her his hand. "So while the music's going, wanna dance maybe?"

Lana looked at the purple squirrel with astonishment. She couldn't believe she was being asked to dance by Surly. She was flattered by it as if she never waltzed with someone before, too. Surly smiled warmly at Lana while keeping his hand extended to her, and that was when she smiled back and chose to take his hand.

"Sure," Lana accepted as she got up as well.

They then came to the center of the hideout room so they could get started. As the waltz music continued playing, Surly clasped his arm around Lana's waist and that was when they began. They waltzed, slowly going around and around the center of the room. Buddy sat and watched while leaned against the radio as if it's someone's shoulder. Precious came back to sit with Buddy and watch as well, and Surly and Lana were enjoying the waltz at the moment as they kept their gaze at each other.

"You know, you're pretty good for a squirrel," Lana complimented.

"Why thanks," Surly thanked. "You're quite lovely yourself."

"Why thank you," Lana thanked as well with a smile. "I'm flattered."

"Not a problem at all, sis," Surly replied with a charming wink.

"In fact…" Lana started, looking questionable at Surly. "Have you ever done this with another woman, or been with her?"

"Well…" Surly started as well, feeling a tad bit nervous inside. "There was that one other female squirrel I told you about while telling you my backstory, who was Andie. She…" Surly then noticed Lana giving him an almost-stern look, and then he made an excuse. "…Well, she's with someone else anyways. She's with Grayson."

"Alright," Lana said with a nod in acceptance.

"Well unlike her anyways, you have certain things she doesn't," Surly said. "You have beautiful eyes, lovely hair, and yellow fur makes you look gorgeous."

Lana felt touched by Surly's words as she blushed and smiled at the purple squirrel. "That's so sweet of you, Surly," the yellow squirrel said in grace. "Thank you so very much. They were the kindest words coming from you."

"You're very welcome, Lana," Surly replied, smiling back.

"Ya know…" Lana started. "Unlike you now, my relationship with my ex-boyfriend didn't really work out. He wasn't just a troublesome criminal at the end, but also inconsiderate and selfish. I'm just glad that you're not like that anymore."

With that and as they stopped waltzing as well as the music ending, Surly looked down with a bit of guilt because of his past. What Lana said about King did also talk about what Surly used to be as an outcast back at the park. "Yeah…" he replied with a bit of guilt.

"No need to be nervous or guilty though, Surly," Lana gestured as she placed a hand on his cheek. "At least you changed at the end. The past you may have been pretty bad, but at least I'm really liking the new you. It's much more nice and handsome to me."

"Well, yeah," Surly replied as he looked back at Lana, feeling convinced.

"Well of coarse you're only a thief, though…" Lana started. "But…hopefully you wouldn't be too troublesome about it."

"No worries," Surly said as he became clever. "It's only for survival. After all I may be a thief stealing food for survival, but I sure am stealing something much valuable…" Lana wore a confused expression at the moment, but then Surly turned his clever smile into a warm one with a wink. "…a yellow squirrel's heart."

With a bit of relief and while touched again, Lana smiled at the purple squirrel. "Thank you," she thanked.

"Anything for a lovely yellow…in fact, _golden_ -furred squirrel like you," Surly complimented.

Lana felt touched once again by Surly calling her a golden-furred. "Surly…" she gasped softly in grace.

With that, Lana and Surly kept their loving gaze at one another while holding each other's hands. They then slowly came in closer, and that was when they slowly kissed. They kissed romantically, then parted lips seconds later to gaze at each other once again.

"Well, I can't believe I'm saying this since we're squirrels…" Lana started. "…but you, Surly, are the most cute and handsome squirrel I've ever seen and met."

"And you're the most beautiful, yet gorgeous female I've ever met as well," Surly complimented as well.

"Oh Surly," Lana sweetly said. "I love you."

"I love you too, Lana," Surly replied as well. "I love you too."

They then slowly kissed again, this time deeply and romantically as they wrapped their arms around each other. Buddy and Precious both happily watched with wide puppy eyes and a bit of tears of joy, feeling as if the scene was heartwarming and like a fairy tale. Surly and Lana then parted lips again after their tender kiss and once again gazed at one another with their arms still wrapped around each other.

"Oh Surly…" Lana said with a warm, loving smile. "If only this was real…"

"You wish," Surly said as he pointed at something on Lana.

The two squirrels unwrapped their arms from one another as Lana looked at herself to see what Surly was referring to, and she noticed herself strangely but slowly fading away. As Buddy and Precious came over, Lana gasped as if it could mean her dream might be coming to an end.

"Uh oh," Lana said with a surprised expression. "I think my dream is…"

"I know," Surly comforted. "Our time is up. Sadly, we probably may not be able to talk to each other again back in reality. Mostly because you won't be a squirrel anymore."

Lana looked at the purple squirrel sadly as she slowly faded some more. "Surly…" she started.

"It was a fun and romantic time while it lasted," Surly said while rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "You'll have a store to run, anyways. In fact, better stuff to do than hang out with a couple of rodents like us. There's still other men out there, too."

"Yeah," Precious said in agreement. "No worries, though. You'll still be friends with Surly and Buddy."

With that, Buddy nodded in agreement as well. Lana hated for the dream to end as she hugged Surly tightly, catching him by surprise. Surly then hugged her back as close and warmly as he could as Lana made her conclusion for the dream.

"I love you, Surly!" Lana cried as she started shedding some tears. "I will never forget this!"

"I love you too, Lana," Surly concluded. "It's time for us to wake up now."

While still hugging Surly and shedding tears, Lana continued to fade away until she was completely gone and everything became white. Her dream was finally coming to an end.

* * *

 _ **Reality…**_

Suddenly there was barking being heard, and Lana slowly opened her eyes and woke up while in bed groaning from exhaustion. She noticed that it was morning and Precious was barking at her trying to wake her up, which made her sit up by surprise. She also noticed that she was no longer a squirrel, but a human again. More importantly though, she glanced at Precious to see what seemed to be the problem.

"Precious?" Lana quizzed. "What's wrong girl?"

Lana then looked at the time on her alarm clock, and shockingly it was about forty-five minutes to opening time for the nut shop she runs. That made Lana gasp as if she overslept and she rushed out of bed.

"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe I overslept! I'm gonna be late for work!"

That was when Lana rushed to her bathroom, taking care of her personal hygiene, getting dressed, and her other morning routines.

Later she was fully dressed and finally at Maury's Nut Shop at the front desk with Precious, ready to start her business. The shop was open too, but nobody was coming yet. It made Lana sigh and rest her head on her hand on the desk, somewhat bored and waiting for someone to come. Just then, there was tapping being heard from at the bottom of the entrance door. Lana and Precious both looked and saw that it was Surly and Buddy again waving at them from outside.

"Oh, it's you two again," Lana said in surprise as Precious panted happily.

That was when she came from her desk over to the front door to open it for the two rodents. Before she fully opened it to let the two in though, she looked around to make sure no one was looking. She figured since there weren't any customers coming since it was too early, she could let Surly and Buddy spend some time with her in the store. Thankfully no one was looking at the moment, and Lana opened the door a little more slightly so the two rodents could fit through and come in. Lana then wanted to feed Surly and Buddy again as the two rodents then both climbed up on top of the table to wait.

"Wait right there, you two," Lana told the duo. "I'll be right back to bring you some food."

Surly and Buddy nodded as Lana went away into the shop, and Precious came over to them so they'd talk alone as well. Later Lana came back with a small open bag of cashews and she setted them on the desk for the purple squirrel and his rat friend, and they began eating from it. While that, Lana rested her head on her hand again and watched the two eat. She was thinking about the dream she had that night and wanted to let the two rodents know about it.

"You know…" Lana started. "Last night, I had a dream about you guys. I was a yellow-furred squirrel, too."

After hearing that from Lana, Surly and Buddy were both shocked as they stopped eating and slowly looked at Lana surprisingly with their mouths full of cashews. Even Precious was concerned as she looked at her owner surprisingly too. Lana only did nothing but shrug.

"It's true," she said.

Surly and Buddy looked at one another surprisingly as they swallowed their mouthfuls of cashews. They then turned back to Lana and stared at her while still eating as if they wanted to hear more from her about her dream. Precious sat below her, wanting to hear more as well.

"I suppose you guys want to hear more about it?" Lana asked with a bit of confusion.

All three animals nodded in response and Lana shrugged and said, "Okay."

Lana then sat down on her desk chair as Surly and Buddy continued listening and eating and Precious listened as well, and that was when she got started.

"Well of course I was a yellow-furred squirrel…" she started. "…I was in my ex-boyfriend's hideout of the shop too, and that was where I met all three of you. You guys…actually spoke to me, too…" Lana then turned to and focused on Surly and Buddy. "You two were supposed to be _close_ friends…" She turned to Buddy as she predicted his name first. "Buddy, right? You couldn't speak, which I felt pity for." She then turned to Surly. "Surly, am I correct? _You_ told me about your backstory and what you used to have been back at the Liberty Park along with the fact that you were a thief, though I'm not sure if it was all true. You had a deep, manly voice too. Your rat friend also convinced us to make some love since I admitted some of my feelings to you, and so we did. We waltzed, and then we kissed. We were sure in love as squirrels."

With that, Buddy elbowed Surly with a cheeky grin and the purple squirrel blushed a bit and looked at him with frustration. Lana saw that and chuckled.

"It was only a dream, though," she chuckled. "I _was_ a squirrel too, and I guess it wasn't so bad. Other than that though, I sorta feel ashamed for kissing a squirrel..." Lana giggled a bit while also feeling a bit humiliated, but then chuckled and joked about it. "…but then again I was a squirrel anyways, so I guess it was worth it. Not like I'd actually kiss one as a human, though. It's not like The Princess and The Frog."

With that said by Lana, Buddy was amused by it as he giggled silently and Surly rubbed his head with embarrassment while also frustrated again with his rat friend. Lana then softly petted and stroked Surly in a comforting way.

"It was a pretty good dream though, little guy," she said. "…Too bad I still have to look for a man out there, though. If only you were human…But still, I was actually glad you and your speechless friend were in it. You gave me a nice, romantic experience."

With that, Surly smiled warmly and felt cheered up. Lana then looked down at Precious, who was panting happily for her and her rodent friends. "You too, girl," Lana added. "Glad you could be in the dream too."

Precious barked happily in response only to make her owner smile. Lana then figured that it was about time for her to get back to work. She couldn't keep a squirrel and a rat in her shop for long, anyways. She also figured that Surly and Buddy ate enough too as the two rodents stopped eating and she took the bag of nuts away.

"Well, I have a shop to run," Lana concluded. "You two best be going."

She then lead Surly and Buddy back to the entrance before opening it for them and letting them back out. Before they could leave into the city though, Lana had one last thing to say.

"Oh, and boys?" Lana started as she got the squirrel and rat's attention making them look back. "Stay safe out there, especially you Surly."

Surly and Buddy saluted to Lana once again in response as if they were promising her, and then they went away out of her sight. As Lana came back into the shop closing the door behind her, she was also curious about something from the dream she had as she turned to Precious with a confused look.

"Surly did say it was time for _us_ to wake up at the end, though," Lana predicted. "Kinda strange. Also gives me the feeling that he might have had the dream too."

Lana thought about it more as she went back to her front desk with Precious to run the shop.

Meanwhile, Surly and Buddy were both on the roof of the nut shop building hanging out. They were concerned about the dream Lana had too as Surly spoke to Buddy about it while away from her.

"I gotta hand it to ya, Buddy…" Surly started. "That actually was a pretty good and romantic experience last night, especially the kiss. To be frank, I actually _did_ have the exact same dream." With that, Buddy wore an astonished expression and nodded as Surly continued. "Sandman sure outdone himself this time with such an unusual dream. Lana sure did make a pretty sexy-looking squirrel, too. Way more than Andie…no offense to her."

Buddy then smiled as he elbowed Surly and made a heart sign with his hands and fingers again. Even though he knew what his rat friend was referring to, Surly was confused as he wondered about something as well. "You were in the dream too, weren't you?" Surly asked his speechless friend.

In response, Buddy nodded which surprised Surly. "And I take it that Precious was as well," Surly predicted.

Buddy shrugged and nodded slightly as he was somewhat sure that Precious was in Lana's dream as well.

"Huh, interesting," Surly said with astonishment. "So we were all in it together…" He then smiled at Buddy with his arms crossed as he chuckled, "On the other hand though, you sure are quite a matchmaker, aren't you?"

Buddy nodded with a silent giggle, and Surly shook his head with a smile. "First Andie with Grayson…somewhat, then Mole with Jamie, and now me with Lana," the purple squirrel chuckled as he ruffled his friend's head. "These days, you really are more of a great friend I could ever ask for...and the rat version of cupid."

Buddy silently giggled more at the joke Surly made as the purple squirrel laughed as well and putted a friendly hand on his friend's shoulder. After sighing from laughter, Surly then went into thought again.

"Come to think of it…" Surly started. "She did have a point when she said if only I was human. We both understand her, though. Too bad I can't solve her love problem as a squirrel in this world, but at least the dream we all had technically did. I'm sure she'll find someone good enough for her out there, though. Yep, plenty of fish swimming out there in the sea. I just totally wish her luck."

While looking somewhat sad, Buddy nodded in agreement as if he understood Lana too. While wanting to cheer him up the best way he could, Surly patted his rat friend's back and said, "It'll be alright though, Buddy." He then winked at Buddy with a grin. "Let's just hope next time we dream with her again, we really do become humans."

That made Buddy smile happily once again with a nod. With that, Surly patted his back again and then they both climbed down the building and went off together to start their thieving adventure in Oakton City.

 **The End**

* * *

 **There you have it and that's it for this one-shot. Hope you all enjoyed it and, again, that it's good enough. Please review.**


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